Judge sentences pangolin scale trader to two years in prison

Medan - The panel of judges at the Medan District Court has handed down a two-year prison sentence to defendant Obet Tarigan after he was proven to have traded 13 kilograms of pangolin scales through social media.

“Adjudicating, sentencing the defendant Obet Tarigan to imprisonment for two years,” said Chief Judge Lenny Megawaty Napitupulu when reading the verdict at the Medan District Court, North Sumatra, on Wednesday.

The judge stated that the resident of Sibiru-biru District, Deli Serdang Regency, had been legally and convincingly proven guilty of committing the crime of trading protected wildlife, as charged in the single indictment by the public prosecutor.

The defendant was found to have violated Article 40A paragraph (1) letter f and letter h in conjunction with Article 21 paragraph (2) letter c and letter g of Law Number 5 of 1990, as amended by Law Number 32 of 2024 concerning Conservation of Biological Natural Resources and Their Ecosystems.

In its considerations, the panel of judges stated that the defendant’s actions contradicted the government’s efforts to protect endangered wildlife.

“Aggravating circumstances, the defendant’s actions contradict the government’s programme in protecting endangered wildlife,” the judge said.

Meanwhile, mitigating factors were that the defendant was polite during the trial, admitted and regretted his actions, and had never been convicted before.

Regarding the verdict, the defendant stated that he accepted it. However, the Public Prosecutor from the Medan District Prosecutor’s Office stated that they would consider their position for seven days to determine whether to accept the verdict or to file an appeal.

The sentence handed down by the panel of judges was lighter than the demand sought by Public Prosecutor Reza Surya Mardhika, who had previously requested a prison sentence of two years and six months.